Mirwaiz Seconds Geelani

28 April 2009Rising Kashmir

Srinagar: Claiming that the Hurriyat Conference (M) had always stayed away from polls, Chairman of the conglomerate Mirwaiz Umar Farooq Tuesday urged people to observe complete strike on the elections days. Terming the elections as a futile practice, Mirwaiz, in a meeting of the conglomerate which was presided over by him, said such activities neither affected the course of Kashmir imbroglio nor the nature of the dispute. “APHC is not against the doctrine of democracy but to respect democratic norms, we demand resolution of Kashmir dispute as per the wishes of the people of Jammu Kashmir,” he said. “Despite odd Hurriyat leaders and activists have gone door- to-door too urge people to stay away from the Indian sham elections in Kashmir. Hurriyat appeals Kashmiris to go for a complete strike on poll days,” Mirwaiz said. He said by boycotting polls, people would express solidarity with the people who had sacrificed their lives for Kashmir’s freedom. Later presiding over the joint meeting of Hurriyat’s Executive Council and General Council of the APHC in Srinagar, Tuesday, Mirwaiz said staying away from polls had become necessary to convey to the world that people of Kashmir were struggling for the right to self-determination and not for power politics. Hurriyat leaders condemned the house arrests of pro-freedom leaders Nayeem Ahmad Khan, Javed Ahmad Mir, Agha Syed Hassan Almosvi Alsafvi and denounced the raids conducted on the house of Hurriyat (M) media advisor Syed Saleem Geelani. “Detaining the freedom leaders will not deter the resolute of the Hurriyat and the people to struggle for the just cause of freedom,” Mirwaiz said. Senior Hurriyat leader Ghulam Muhammad Hubbi was put under house arrest soon after reaching his Chrar-e-eSharief residence after attending the Hurriyat’s executive council meeting. Meanwhile, a Hurriyat (M) spokesman deplored the death of Shakeel Ahmad Salroo son of Abdus Salam Salroo of Bonigam Shopian who died due to negligence of jail authorities of Srinagar Central Jail.